This invention involves a pilot operated pneumatically controlled pallet couple and decouple clamping system. There are systems currently available which employ only hydraulic fluid, and not air, in the system. Hydraulic systems are very expensive. Additionally, hydraulic systems are difficult to maintain in that leaks of hydraulic fluid are inevitable.
The present invention is very simple. The present invention does employ hydraulic fluid, however, said fluid is employed in a completely enclosed manner which prevents leak,. The present invention employs air couplings for the transfer of air pressure when the pallet is retracted outside of the machining center. This allows the clamping and unclamping of the workpieces in a very short amount of time and also prevents any fluid leakage in that the motive force, or power, is supplied through pneumatic air pressure rather than through a hydraulic fluid.
Also employed in the present invention is an amplification means or a power booster which is controlled with air pressure as the input and a hydraulic fluid pressure as the output to the hydraulic vice.